They have become a Red Menace that not even Joe McCarthy would have been able to halt in the 1950s.

Teachers captured their fourth consecutive victory of the Amstel League season yesterday in a rough-and-tumble slugfest against Renegades in the driving rain and mud at National Sports Club.

And to the growing dismay of their opponents, it looks as if they have found another player to assist them in their onslaught of the record books this season.

John Newton suited up for his first game and scored 12 points in helping lift Teachers to a 32-13 victory over Renegades, the second time this season they have defeated their arch-rivals. Newton scored on a pair of penalty kicks and added three conversions.

Alvin Harvey scored two tries, while Tommy Sinclair and Patrick Cooper each scored once as Teachers lifted their record to 4-0. Faltering Renegades, meantime, slipped to 1-3 on the season, one of their worst starts in years.

Renegades jumped to a 6-0 lead after Phil Heaney scored on a couple of penalty kicks and appeared to be in full control until Teachers responded with tries from Sinclair and Cooper.

The game was played in horrible conditions and players had trouble hanging on to the ball. But that did not prevent any rough stuff.

Late in the half, Renegade Andy Cook kicked Heath Robinson in the head while he was sprawled on the pitch, but remained in the game because he was not caught by the referee.

Teachers' Billy McNiven was caught, however, when he retaliated by hitting a Renegade and was immediately sent off the pitch. A possible suspension could force him off the Caribbean tournament squad, which leaves for Trinidad on Saturday.

It puts the team in difficult straits since Gareth Davies is already out with of a hamstring injury from the World Rugby Classic and Andrew Correia was hobbling with a calf injury during yesterday's game.

Newton put Teachers in front with an 18-6 lead early in the second half with a pair of penalty kicks, including one from about 45 yards out. Then, Harvey raced in untouched to give the Reds a commanding 24-6 lead.

"We were trying to play the same game we played them last time and it wasn't working,'' said Harvey. "We just had to change.'' At that juncture, however, Renegades seemed to be rejuvinated after a try by Sean Kelly, but quickly suffered another blow when Harvey scored again, his fourth of the year.

"It was hard, conditions were very difficult,'' said Heaney. "We made some fundamental, basic mistakes and we lost on three very soft tries.'' Remarkably, Renegades did manage to halt three-game scoring streaks by Andre Simons and Robinson.

Mariners 19, Police 10 Mariners won their second game in a row yesterday behind a defensive gem as they defeated Police 19-10 to lift their season record to 2-2, while Police lost their third straight and slipped to 1-3 on the year.

Police struck first with a try from Sean Field, while Mariners quickly responded with two tries from Simon Turner and Dave Conway to take a 14-5 half-time lead.

Police opened the second half with a try from Danny Cozens -- his fourth of the year -- but Corcoran scored again to slam the door on the struggling Blues.

Corcoran delivered nine points for the winners in continuing his torrid scoring pace on the season.

Both teams played aggressively despite the poor conditions, with Russell Matthews of Police getting tossed out in the second half by referee Brian Toms for head-butting.